Skip to main content

Fukuoka International Marathon Elite Field


With less than 4 weeks to go the organizers of the Dec. 3 Fukuoka International Marathon have announced this year's elite field. And here it is. The field is set up to try to help top Japanese man Kyohei Hosoya (Kurosaki Harima), who fell and dropped out during last month's Olympic marathon trials, to 2:05:50, where he'll take the third spot on the Paris Olympic team away from trials 3rd-placer Suguru Osako (GMO). Hosoya ran 2:06:35 in the Miracle at Lake Biwa in 2021, but although he's been pretty stable since then he hasn't been able to get under 2:08 again. Abebe Negewo Degefa (Ethiopia) is the only athlete in the field to have gone under 2:05:50 in the last 3 years, with Kenyans Bethwel Yegon and Abel Kirui, 5th last year at age 40, both at the 2:06 level.

Beyond that it looks like a solid 2:07 race with 6 men including last year's 2nd through 4th-placers Vincent Raimoi (Suzuki), Michael Githae (Suzuki) and Australian NR breaker Brett Robinson. An interesting addition is Chinese duo Shaohui Yang and Peiyou Feng, Yang with China's 2nd-fastest-ever time of 2:07:49 in Wuxi in the spring and Feng with a 2:09:21 in the same race. With a million Chinese marathons to choose from it's a surprise to see them come to Japan, but it wouldn't be a surprise to see at least Yang walk away as the top Asian finisher. Also in the field is 2017 winner Sondre Nordstad Moen (Norway), hoping to get under 2:10 for the first time since 2020 after a good 1:00:20 half marathon in Malaga last week.

Fukuoka International Marathon Elite Field

Fukuoka, 3 Dec. 2023
times listed are best in last 3 years except where noted

Abebe Negewo Degefa (Ethiopia) - 2:05:27 (Valencia 2021)
Bethwel Yegon (Kenya) - 2:06:14 (Berlin 2021)
Kyohei Hosoya (Japan/Kurosaki Harima) - 2:06:35 (Lake Biwa 2021)
Abel Kirui (Kenya) - 2:06:52 (Milan 2021)
Vincent Raimoi (Kenya/Suzuki) - 2:07:01 (Fukuoka Int'l 2022)
Zerei Kbrom Mezngi (Norway) - 2:07:10 (Valencia 2022) 
Michael Githae (Kenya/Suzuki) - 2:07:28 (Fukuoka Int'l 2022)
Brett Robinson (Australia) - 2:07:31 (Fukuoka Int'l 2022)
Bethwell Kipkemboi Ruto (Kenya) - 2:07:34 (Daegu 2023)
Shaohui Yang (China) - 2:07:49 (Wuxi 2023)
Peiyou Feng (China) - 2:09:21 (Wuxi 2023)
Andrew Buchanan (Australia) - 2:10:20 (Hamburg 2023)
Sondre Nordstad Moen (Norway) - 2:10:23 (Vienna 2023)
Takuma Kumagai (Japan/Sumitomo Denko) - 2:10:41 (Fukuoka Int'l 2021)
Joel Mwaura (Kenya/Kurosaki Harima) - 2:10:45 (Fukuoka Int'l 2022)
Yusuke Tobimatsu (Japan/Hioki City Hall) - 2:10:47 (Hofu 2021)
Asuka Tanaka (Japan/Runlife) - 2:11:09 (Tokyo 2022)
Kamil Jastrzębski (Poland) - 2:11:09 (Valencia 2021)
Hiromasa Kumahashi (Japan/Sanyo Tokushu Seiko) - 2:11:24 (Tokyo 2023)
Taira Kato (Japan/Shindengen Kogyo) - 2:12:06 (Tokyo 2023)
Tomoki Yoshioka (Japan/Kyudenko) - 2:12:21 (Nobeoka 2023)
Hiroshi Ichida (Japan/Asahi Kasei) - 2:12:23 (Beppu-Oita 2019)
Edward Goddard (Australia) - 2:12:52 (Gold Coast 2023)

© 2023 Brett Larner, all rights reserved

Buy Me A Coffee

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Most-Read This Week

2026 Tokyo Marathon Elite Field

The Mar. 1 Tokyo Marathon has great fields this year, so let's get right to it. The women's field has 3 of last year's top 10, winner for the 2nd year in a row and Tokyo CR holder Sutume Asefa Kebede , 3rd-placer and 2025 Chicago winner Hawi Feysa , and 5th-placer and 2025 Berlin winner Rosemary Wanjiru , plus 2024 Valencia winner Megertu Alemu , 2025 Prague winner Bertukan Welde , 2024 Paris winner Mestawut Fikir , 2024 Osaka winner Waganesh Mekasha , former WR holder Brigid Kosgei , and a lot more. Japanese hopes pretty much go to all-time #7 Ai Hosoda , 2:20:31 in Berlin 2024 but who announced this month that she is retiring after Tokyo despite having qualified for the 2028 Olympic marathon trials with her 2:23:27 for 6th in Sydney last year. Other internationals include Canadian Malindi Elmore , American Sara Hall , a big Chinese group led by Yuyu Xia , Poland's Aleksandra Brzezińska and Australian Vanessa Wilson . The men's race has 5 of last year's top 1...
4 comments
Read more

Measuring Marathon Courses by Bicycle

http://news.searchina.ne.jp/disp.cgi?y=2013&d=0110&f=column_0110_034.shtml translated by Brett Larner The full marathon is a sport where you compete over 42.195 km, but how do they go about measuring that distance?  Today we're going to look a little bit at how they go about certifying the distance of a marathon. The reality is that major international marathons use a bicycle to measure the distance.  This rule is an international standard, and the same method of measurement is used everywhere.  It was put into place in 1986.  In order to ensure that the same method is used everywhere, a bicycle that meets IAAF specifications must be used for measurement. In the case of Japan's major marathons, to be certain that the distance is correct a provisional measurement is first made.  Before the course is certified using a bicycle the course is measured using a 50 m-long length of wire to determine that it is in fact 42.195 km.  When a bicycle is u...
2 comments
Read more

Ai Hosoda Announces Retirement

photo © 2025 Victah Sailer/Photo Run, all rights reserved On Jan. 8 the Edion women's corporate team announced that Ai Hosoda , 30, will retire at the end of March this year. The Tokyo Marathon will be her last race. At Nagano Higashi H.S. Hosoda ran in the National High School Ekiden her 2nd and 3rd years. During her 3rd year at Nittai University she won both the 5000 m and 10000 m at the Kanto Region University Track and Field Championships, going on to win the bronze medal in the 10000 m at the World University Games in her 4th year at Nittai. After graduating she joined the Daihatsu corporate team, debuting at the 2019 Nagoya Women's Marathon in 2:29:27. 2 years later she transferred to Edion. She qualified for the Paris Olympics marathon trials at the 2022 Nagoya Women's Marathon and finished 3rd in the trials in the fall of 2023, but was later bumped down to Olympic alternate after another athlete ran a faster time. Instead of the Olympics, Hosoda ran the 2024 Ber...
2 comments
Read more